provenance n 1: where something originated or was nurtured in its early existence; "the birthplace of civilization" [syn: {birthplace}, {cradle}, {place of origin}, {provenance}, {provenience}]
Provenance \Prov"e*nance\, n. [F., fr. provenir to originate, to come forth, L. provenire. Cf. {Provenience}.] Origin; source; provenience. Their age attested by their provenance and associations. --A. H. Keane. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
24 Moby Thesaurus words for "provenance": beginning, commencement, conception, derivation, fountain, genesis, grass roots, head, inception, origin, original, origination, provenience, radical, radix, rise, root, source, stem, stock, taproot, well, wellspring, whence